Wildflower habitats planted along field borders are a widely promoted strategy for supporting bees in agricultural landscapes. However, honey bees, which are often stocked at high densities in crop lands, can compete with wild bees for pollen and nectar, potentially limiting the successfulness of wildflower plantings at supporting diverse bee communities. My most recent research on this subject uses data on the nutritional quality of pollen from different plant species and pollen collected by bees to assess whether increasing protein availability in wildflower plantings can mitigate negative impacts of honey bee competition.
Figure by Maureen L. Page